Paid in Full (Listen or Read)
Paid in Full
One of the last things Christ said while hanging on the cross was, “Father, forgive them” (Lu. 23:34). Did God not answer His prayer? In John’s gospel, His last recorded words were, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), which The Bible Knowledge Commentary says means, “paid in full.”9 What is the significance of this? Consider the commentary John provides on Christ’s redemption. What better commentary could we have than the author? He says, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29)! He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1Jn. 2:2).The sins of the whole world have been paid in full! I would not dare place any limitations on the power of the blood of Christ to save all for whom it was shed—the world. Perhaps no passages are more precious and essential than these. I entreat you to prayerfully meditate on each one.
¨ Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29)! The world!
¨ It is finished (Jn. 19:30). Paid in full!
¨ He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1Jn. 2:2). The world!
¨ The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:6). Everyone!
¨ My flesh…I…give for the life of the world (Jn. 6:51). The world!
¨ Christ died for the ungodly (Ro. 5:6). That includes everyone!
¨ When we were enemies we were reconciled…through [His] death (Ro. 5:10). If you and I, why not all?
¨ Justification…to all men (Ro. 5:18 NAS). All men!
¨ If One died for all, then all died (2Co. 5:14). His death affects all!
¨ For it pleased the Father…by Him to reconcile all things to Himself…through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:19-20). All!
¨ He…tasted death for everyone (He. 2:9). Everyone!
¨ Christ…suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust (1Pe. 3:18). Everyone!
¨ He gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1Ti. 2:6). Everyone!
Christ gave Himself a ransom for all (1Ti. 2:6) and not merely some. He propitiated not only our sins, but also those of the whole world! (1Jn. 2:2). That includes the ungodly (Ro. 5:6), the unjust (1Pe. 3:18), and even His enemies (Ro. 5:8). In fact everyone (He. 2:9). The ransom for their sins has been paid in “full” (Jn. 19:30). Thus all are reconciled through His blood (Col.1:20). I accept these passages as they read. Moreover, because I do, I am confident that God will reveal Himself to all men in His ordered (due) time (1Ti. 2:6).
What “Paid in Full” Implies
Christ did not suffer in vain for anyone. Sooner or later, all will come to faith and obedience. All are washed in the blood. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw [drag] all men to myself” (Jn. 12:32 RSV). See “Drags All” chapter 6.
Why is “all coming to faith” so hard to believe in light of what Scripture teaches about Christ’s death and God’s power? Just think of your own faith and obedience. You were blessed enough to experience it in this age, perhaps in your youth or later in life. In either case, it happened. To whom do you give credit for your faith and obedience? Do you credit yourself for being lucky enough to have been at the right place at the right time? Or wise enough to have seen the opportunity and seized it (Lu. 10:21; 1Co. 1:26-31)? Or righteous enough to carry your cross and remain faithful to the end? If you do not credit yourself, then you must credit another—Christ and His “paid in full” redemption. So then, I will assume you do not credit yourself but Christ for your salvation.
Do you believe you are saved while most of the human race is going to hell forever? If so, think carefully what this means. It means God has arbitrarily selected you over others; or that He finds you more worthy than others; or both. But this denies that Christ has “paid in full” sin’s debt. It denies that God is impartial and fair with every person on earth (page 56). It denies that Christ accomplished His mission (Jn. 17:4, 12:47). It means the Father’s will and purpose to save all is forever denied. It means His love is not without end (1Co. 13:8). Do you see the contradiction in all this? This is very serious. But I have good news for you. There is a Biblical solution to your dilemma. That solution is understanding God’s purposes in election. That will be discussed in the next chapter.
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In this chapter we saw that the burden of our Lord’s heart was for the whole world and that our oneness is essential to our witness.
Education, wisdom, and status are not the prerequisites for spiritual revelation; we must be as babes before Him. We are called to judge for ourselves what is right and to face the question of questions. “How can a good God create people He knows will be tormented forever?” The two major Christian theologies were contrasted with each other. Each magnifies a key attribute of God – His love or His power. The Blessed Hope was shown to glorify God in both of these attributes. Could this be the key to Christian unity and world witness? Veiled from the traditional paradigms is the salvation of all and the integration of both pardon and chastisement. The wondrous scope of salvation was traced to God’s promise to Abraham, confirmed by Peter and Paul, and ultimately by Christ on the cross, as the sins of the whole world were “paid in full.”
We start with Christ facing the cross with the world on His heart, and close with His very last words while suspended between heaven and earth: “Father, forgive them.…It is finished.” Such forgiveness confirms the Blessed Hope. In the next chapter, we will address several themes essential to a fuller appreciation of this hope.
References: See Bibliography page.
